Best of Blockchain

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, co-founders of the crypto exchange Gemini, recently launched an ad campaign in New York City. With slogans like “Crypto Without Chaos” and “Crypto Needs Rules,” the idea is to educate the public on the need for regulated exchanges in the blockchain space.

It’s terrific that they’re bringing these issues into the mainstream. But where is the bitcoin brand campaign?

Advertising drives awareness. For blockchain to hit mainstream, people need to understand what it is.

Advertising builds trust. For better or worse, people tend to trust what they see on TV. (“If bitcoin’s on TV, it must be true.”)

Advertising changes minds. If people are exposed to the same message enough times, it sticks. (See: political advertising.)

Here are a few classic ad campaigns that give you the flavor of what a bitcoin brand campaign could look like.

Mac vs. PC

This iconic campaign made technology cool, by showing how PCs were actually quite uncool. You could easily see a campaign that turns bitcoin into a funny, relatable character who explains how easy it is to send digital money.

Geico

You’ve heard their slogan so many times that you may have forgotten Geico is an INSURANCE COMPANY. If the most boring industry in the world can make funny commercials, then surely we can make bitcoin entertaining.

Coca Cola

This classic Coke ad was years ahead of its time, showing global citizens bonding over a soft drink. In today’s political climate, a bitcoin anthem—sung by people around the world—could explain to a global audience the power of a single source of digital money.

There’s only one question: who will pay for it?

We’ll need an award-winning creative agency to create the bitcoin ads, and then we’ll have to pay for the ad space. (Apple, Geico, and Coke each spend around $1 or $2 billion per year on ad spend).

I think we can decentralize this, with everyone who owns bitcoin chipping in. It’s in the best interest of bitcoin investors, because the more people trust bitcoin, the more your investment grows. All we need is a strong volunteer to lead the fundraising effort. (I would do it, but I’ve got this newsletter to write.)

The bitcoin brand campaign. We only need to raise a billion. Any takers?